‘After almost destroying the world, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of extreme anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can people detest one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn